Lucy Torres-Gomez: Grabe the damage to Ormoc

MANILA - Leyte 4th District Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez on Saturday lamented the devastation wrought by super typhoon "Yolanda" to her hometown of Ormoc.

Speaking to ANC, the congresswoman said the super typhoon has left thousands of Ormoc residents homeless.

"Property damage is catastrophic. There is not a single home that is not severely damaged. I am thankful that there are no reports of casualties just yet, which is not to say that there aren't any at all," she said in an interview on ANC.

Torres-Gomez said roofs of evacuation centers in Ormoc were destroyed by "Yolanda's" winds.

"There is no water and no electricity. There is supposedly another storm coming in 36 hours and it will hit the same path and those people now homeless, I don't know how they will survive the rain," she said.

The congresswoman said she had already sought help from several Cabinet officials including Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, Budget Secretary Butch Abad and Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson. She, however, said she understands if the immediate concern of government is helping Tacloban City, which was the hardest hit by the super typhoon.

She said bringing relief goods to Ormoc would be a challenge since roads from Tacloban City to Ormoc are filled with debris.

"Grabe. Grabe the damage. I think ang kalaban talaga dito is the feeling of despair that people have that I hope will not settle. All the more now they have to be strong," she said.